Int’l pact amended to regulate dirty plastic waste exports

May 12, 2019

Tokyo--Signatories to the Basel Convention, which restricts trading in harmful waste, have agreed to an amendment to the convention to regulate shipments of dirty plastic waste, stepping up efforts to tackle ocean pollution.

The amendment, jointly proposed by Japan and Norway, was adopted at a meeting of the signatories in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday. The new regulations will take effect in January 2021.

Following the adoption, the Japanese government will revise related ministerial orders and draw up operation guidelines.

Japan hopes to highlight its efforts to reduce plastic waste ahead of the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, western Japan, in June this year.

The Basel Convention, enforced in 1992, has more than 180 signatory countries and regions including the European Union. The United States is not a party to it.

The convention obliges its signatories to dispose of harmful waste domestically in principle and gain consent from recipient countries when exporting such waste to them.

Japan proposed newly regulating plastic bottles containing leftover drinks, tainted plastic food containers and vinyl sheets smeared with mud through the amendment.

The Asian country generated a total of 9 million tons of plastic waste in 2017, with 1.4 million tons exported to other countries, according to the Environment Ministry.

China used to be Japan's main export destination of plastic waste, but it banned imports of such waste at the end of 2017.

At present, Japan exports some one million tons to Southeast Asian countries while boosting the amount recycled at home.

The ministry has taken measures to promote domestic recycling, including subsidies to help businesses introduce advanced recycling equipment. After the amendment is implemented, the amount Japan needs to recycle at home may increase, causing a rise in domestic recycling costs. Jiji Press